who we are
What is Project 216?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the many problems that exist in this world? Have you wanted to just DO SOMETHING but didn’t know where to start? Project 216 exists for just that reason. We are here to help you and your group make a real difference in the fight against world hunger. Our Packing Event program allows you to take ownership of a hunger project and make it your own. We will come alongside you every step of the way with the tools you need to make it happen. What does a packing event look like for your group? Click here to learn more.
why Project 216?
The name Project 216 has three different meanings, all of which encompass what we do.
The first and most basic is that every Project 216 box that gets shipped out contains 216 meals.
The second meaning revolves around our volunteers, without whom we absolutely could not exist! At every 2 hour packing event, each volunteer will average about 216 meals. This means that every single person who comes to an event is responsible for about 216 meals for the hungry. Because of each volunteer, whether they are 5 or 95, 216 people will receive a meal designed to help them thrive.
And finally, as a Christian organization, we serve because Jesus came to serve. James 2:16 says, If one of you says to those in need, “Go in peace, keep warm and well fed” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? We want to be an organization that not only sees the need, but does something about it, and empowers you to do something about it too!
Mission Statement
Project 216 is a non-profit humanitarian food aid organization with the mission to show God’s love by empowering our community to provide highly nutritious food to people suffering from hunger around the world. Our meals are packaged by local volunteers and delivered to those in need with the help of worldwide partners.
Note: Project 216 is a 501c3 non-profit charitable organization. All contributions are tax deductible as allowed by tax law.
History
In 2011, a couple from the Fort Wayne area, Alex and Emily Lengacher, began a local satellite of a national organization called Kids Against Hunger. While living in Indianapolis a few years earlier, Alex and Emily had attended Kids Against Hunger events and loved the work they were doing, packing highly nutritious meals consisting of rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables, and a high-quality vitamin powder, and distributing it to hungry people around the world. When Alex and Emily moved to Fort Wayne, they embarked on the process of starting a Kids Against Hunger satellite in Fort Wayne. For more than six years, Alex and Emily worked hard to grow the organization, bringing on board like-minded volunteers, and eventually hiring one full-time and one part-time staff member to coordinate the growing number of packing events occurring in the greater Fort Wayne area.
During this time the leadership of Kids Against Hunger – Fort Wayne received support from food packing organizations outside of the Kids Against Hunger network. Over time they learned about a food product being used by a number of these organizations called the Nutri-Plenty® meal. The Nutri-plenty® meal, while very similar to the KAH product, has a unique vitamin powder.
After much prayer and consideration, with a desire to provide the best possible nutrition coupled with the desire to be more connected with other regional hunger packing groups,, the board of directors of Kids Against Hunger – Fort Wayne made the decision to leave Kids Against Hunger in order to adopt the Nutri-Plenty meal. In February of 2018, Kids Against Hunger – Fort Wayne became Project 216.
Project 216 is a member of the Alliance for Better Nutrition, a network of food packing organizations that all use the Nutri-Plenty meal. While the name of the organization and the vitamin powder used in the meal has changed, everything else has stayed the same. The same group of staff and volunteers continues to work with local organizations to pack high-quality meals that are distributed by the same partners to hungry and malnourished people around the world.